A year after taking home the title, Steven Carr of Huntsville finished third — sort of — in the fifth annual Little Dog’s Backyard Ultra.
Carr, 58, of Huntsville, completed 129.167 miles in the endurance event that started Oct. 4 in Bell Buckle, Tenn. The test is one of the wicked “last runner standing” events devised by Gary Cantrell, aka Laz Lake. Runners have 59 minutes, 59 seconds to complete a 4.1666667 mile loop (yard) cross the line and be back in the starting corral for the next yard.
Fail to finish the yard? You’re out. Cross but don’t return to the corral before the bell? You’re out. Start but return to get a water bottle or banana? You’re out. It’s a straightforward event with some simple rules. The last runner must complete the final loop within the time to be the winner. It’s held in Cantrell’s backyard each October.
Everyone except the winner gets a DNF in the standings, although the list shows accumulated miles. So, yes, you can see who finished where and, for the runners, take some solace (or disappointment) with the result. That’s what a “last runner standing” backyard event is about.
Stormy Hild, 33, of Athens, Ill., won the event with 141.667 miles. He was a newcomer this year and battled Carr and Andrew Janaway, 55, of Winchester, Tenn., in the final stages. Carr and Janaway punched and counterpunched in the 2024 event until the latter said enough, and Carr finished his final loop alone for the win.
This year, Carr and Janaway were there with Hild at the end … until they weren’t. Carr ducked out first with his 129+ miles. Janaway motored on for another few before leaving Hild to finish it out.
Justin Smith, 30, of Huntsville, completed 100 miles and was tied for 11th in the final standings.
Samantha Cvetkovski, 33, of Los Angeles, was the top female finisher, tied for sixth with 104.167 miles.
See all of the final results here.
